Planning a trip to Peru end of May. Looking to do the Machu Picchu trek. Anyone have experience with this? I have read up on a bunch of the available tours.
I will be going with my gf. We're looking to do the climb/camping for some adventure/challenge.
I spent a month there a few years ago. Went to Machu Picchu. It's awesome.
One thing about Peru that I noticed is that everything you would want to see is very far from everything else. Lima, for example is quite far from Cusco. I took the bus, it was pretty cheap. Huge seats that recline to 70 degrees if I remember right. Left Lima at 4 pm, arrived in Cusco at 1:30pm the next day. Had service like an airplane. Wasn't that bad. Not as bad as 21 hours on a bus would be if it were a greyhound.
Check out Ollantaytambo, it's an old city in the sacred valley.
Nazca lines and Lake Titicaca were also on my to do list, but I didn't go because they are so far away, and I planned on going back, but never have.
The food is amazing, though be very careful with dairy. I kept getting the shits and couldn't figure out why, then I read the label of the yogurt and cheese I had been eating. Not pasteurized. Tasted great though.
I stayed primarily in the Miraflores area. It's like the 1st world oasis of Lima. There are a few 'upper scale' neighborhoods, but the vast majority of the city is a crumbling slum.
The weather...is not hot. Even though it's so close to the equator, it is a cold place. Somehow the weather in Cusco is the opposite of the weather in Lima. That's what they'll tell you anyway. I mean in their summer Cusco is cold and in their winter it's hot. Elevation, etc.
The hotel I stayed at in Cusco had coca leafs for tea all over the place. The altitude affects a lot of people apparently, but I didn't find it too bad.
I'd go again. Definitely recommended. Lots of surf too if that's your thing. If you want a resort city type place for a few days, go to Mancora. It's north of Lima. Again, a pretty lengthy trip, but hey...how often do you get to Peru?